


Flowers and Acorns

by wyvernlordminerva



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Fantasy AU, M/M, and Takumi is a bit of a disney princess, in which Leo is a dryad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-24
Packaged: 2018-09-17 22:46:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9349604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyvernlordminerva/pseuds/wyvernlordminerva
Summary: Nothing ever happens in Shirasagi, until, one day, a mysterious stranger appears in town...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i'm behind on everything, so obviously, I should start another fic  
> Anyway, this took me like three months to write, even though it was basically completed like 2 months ago

_ He smelled the smoke before he saw it, a menacing spirit looming over the forest and slowly consuming the sky. Beyond it, he knew something even worse lurked, crawling its way through its home and burning everything in its path. It was only a matter of time before it reached him, but what could he do but wait?  _

_ Whoever created them hadn’t thought through the limitations of roots. _

* * *

 

Shirasagi Village wasn’t that small, all things considered, but to Takumi, it had always been stifling. No matter where you went, everyone knew you. Most people would take this as a bonus, but with a reputation like Takumi’s, it was hard to like. He was either “that obnoxious kid who lives in the center of town” or “Ryouma’s significantly less impressive little brother.” Neither was ideal, to say the least.

Deep down, he really just wanted to get away from it all. Takumi had even considered just packing up his things and leaving, once, but his sister, Hinoka, stopped him. After hours worth of lectures, he realized that maybe that plan wasn’t such a great idea in the end. Yet, Takumi never really lost his need for something a little bit more.

He began collecting books. Novels, poetry, encyclopedias, from everywhere around the world, and the local merchants were more than happy to indulge him. They’d promise to bring him back interesting works of literature, and he would happily shell out any money they wanted.

In fact, Takumi was on his way to the market to meet them on the day when he first met  _ him _ .

“Hey!” the stranger exclaimed, having been rudely knocked to the ground in Takumi’s rush. He indignantly rubbed at his face as he rose back to his feet.

“Watch where you’re going-!” Takumi was about to snap, but paused at the last second when he saw the stranger’s face.

He… definitely wasn’t from around here.

Takumi had heard of places like Nohr where the sun never shined, but he never actually tried to imagine what a person from there would look like. He didn’t know people could be that pale without being dead, for one. Heck, with his feathery light hair, the stranger almost seemed unreal. As though if the wind blew too harshly, he would dissipate where he stood.

One thing that grounded him to this world, however, were his eyes. Color and depth of the finest cherry, they were the eyes of someone who knew much about the world. Though, perhaps more importantly, they were the eyes of someone who could  _ tell _ him much about the world.

“W-what are you staring at?” the stranger stuttered, interrupting his reverie. 

“Uh,” Takumi replied dumbly. Suddenly, his head was racing with too many questions, too many things to say, without the means of actually communicating them in any comprehensible way. Frustrated, the stranger huffed and pushed by him, clearly having used up all his patience. He disappeared into the meager crowd long before Takumi regained any sort of cognitive thought.

Takumi turned around and went back home, in a daze. When had his heart started racing?

He replayed the events of that afternoon long into the night, examining every little detail about the stranger he possibly could. His Hoshidan was pretty good; he had to have been here for a while, although he definitely didn’t have the right mannerisms. Even if he wasn’t a walking Nohrian stereotype appearance-wise, there’s no way he’d ever fit in. Also, he never apologized for running into Takumi, which was obviously his fault. That was just rude.

He needed to find him. To ask him about his travels, of course, but mostly for an apology. At least, that was the excuse he was going to use when he ran out into the streets at the crack of dawn, eyes bloodshot from sleep deprivation. 

His siblings might’ve been concerned, but they weren’t awake at the time. Now, where does one find a mysterious traveler at 5:00 AM?

Takumi pulled on his coat and made his way to the inn.

“A blonde man?” the innkeeper repeated with confusion. “No, we don’t have anyone like that booked here.”

“Are you sure?” Takumi asked. This was the only inn in the village. If he wasn’t here…

“I’m pretty sure,” she said. Takumi’s expression fell in disappointment. “Now, don’t be too discouraged. Oftentimes, people just camp outside of town. I’m sure your mysterious foreigner is still here.”

“Really? Do you know where I might find him?” The innkeeper hummed.

“Well, I’m not him, so I don’t know what he’s looking for, but...” she said, “When we get visitors, they usually like to check out the local landmarks and such.” Takumi nodded.

“I’ll look there,” he said, “Thank you!” The innkeeper waved to him as he left, walking even faster than he was before.

Takumi didn’t manage to find him until noon. He wasn’t at any of the places she suggested; instead, the stranger drifted just outside of town, quietly examining the local plantlife. Takumi hid behind a nearby tree, unsure how to approach him. He never actually thought he’d get this far.

“I know you’re there,” the stranger said, not even sparing a glance in his direction. “What do you want?” Takumi was frozen for a moment, then tentatively revealed himself. He opened his mouth to explain, but nothing came out.

“What, have you come here just to stare at me again? Yeesh,” the stranger quipped. Sighing, he stood up to meet him face-to-face.

“Y-you’re not from here!” he blurted out suddenly. The other boy blinked.

“...Yes, that is clear,” he said.

“I mean, you’re a traveler,” Takumi explained. “So, you’ve seen places!”

“Kind of the idea.”

“So!” Takumi huffed. Almost there, just- “You’re going to tell me all about them!”

...Eh, close enough.

The traveler gave him a look, and for a moment, he thought he was going to turn him down outright.

“...Alright,” he said, despite everything. Takumi burst into a grin.

“Okay! I’m going to buy you tea!” he said.

Before he knew it, they were sitting across from each other at a quaint little table, sipping tea in unbelievably awkward silence. Well, Takumi was drinking, at least. The other buy hadn’t even touched his. He probably hated tea. He must’ve agreed just to be polite, and Takumi was really, really annoying him-

“I’m Takumi,” he said abruptly, startling the other boy out of his thoughts.

“Oh? Er, I’m Leo,” Leo said, “Nice to meet you.”  _ Leo _ . Even his name sounded really freakin’ cool. He’d never admit that, though. “So.”

“So?” Takumi repeated.

“Was there a reason you bought me this?” he said, pointing to the tea. Takumi paused for a moment.

“Well, it’s just… a thing we do… Politeness, and stuff.” He nodded, happy with his explanation. Leo only seemed more confused. “Do they not have tea where you’re from?”

Leo scoffed, as though the answer were obvious, but muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like “I don’t even know.”

“So, uh,” Takumi tried, “Where are you from?” Leo thought for a moment.

“Do you have a map?” he asked. Takumi shook his head. “Hmm. Well, if you look on the left, the gray side? There’s a ring of rocks...”

“You mean Krakenburg?” Takumi suggested. 

“Yeah, sure,” he said. Takumi’s eyes lit up.

“Really? The capital of Nohr? What’s it like?” he asked. Leo scrambled for a response.

“Too many people,” he said finally. Takumi pondered this for a moment.

“Yeah, I guess it would be pretty crowded,” he said. “Do you miss it?” Leo expression darkened for a moment, Takumi clearly having struck a nerve of some kind. “Oh, sorry, you don’t have to answer that-”

“No, it’s fine. Just… complicated,” he said. “Let’s just say there’s a reason I’m looking for someplace new.” Takumi hummed in understanding.  So he didn’t have a home anymore, then. He had heard of several food crises in Nohr; maybe it just became unlivable?

“So, you’ve seen a lot of places, then?” he asked.

“Too many,” Leo scoffed, “and each one is just as awful as the last.” Takumi almost recoiled in shock.

“W-what? ‘Awful?’” he repeated.

“Yes, awful. Is it really so much to ask that people don’t violently take what doesn’t belong to them?”

“Well, sometimes-”

“I just want to find somewhere as far away from humanity as possible,” Leo said. Takumi wasn’t sure how to react.

“Don’t you think that’s a bit… unreasonable?” he asked. “I mean-” Leo stood abruptly.

“Thank you for the tea. It was a waste of money.” Before Takumi could even think of a response, his back was turned and quickly shrinking from his view. Soon, Takumi stood and left as well, quietly considering what he said. 

He didn’t understand. The world couldn’t be  _ that _ bad. At least, it didn’t seem so from what he’s read.

“Maybe he’s just upset and didn’t really mean it?” Sakura offered, watering their flowers. “If he really hated people that much, then why would he even talk with you to begin with?”

“Was it something I did, then?” Takumi said. He had been pacing on their porch for at least an hour and a half now. Sakura hummed in thought, then plucked a flower and held it out to him.

“No matter where you go, flowers are a gesture of goodwill,” she said. “Why don’t you bring him some? Either he’ll take it as an apology or just a friendly gift, both work.”

“Sakura, you’re a genius,” Takumi said, happily accepting it. Actually, wasn’t Leo looking at the flowers earlier, too? Maybe he really liked them!

At least, that was his excuse for running around town and picking them whenever he saw some. Fifty should be enough, right?

He was leaning over to pluck just one more when he saw a familiar black cloak flash by him. Takumi quickly shoved the flower into his bouquet and ran, calling out his name.

“Hey, Leo!” Leo turned, face first confused, then shocked when he noticed the excessive amount of flora Takumi held. He huffed in exhaustion and shoved the bouquet towards him, smiling widely. “I got you these!”

“You… got these for me?” he said, not moving to accept them.

“Yeah! Aren’t they nice?” Takumi said. Leo didn’t respond for a moment. “...Is something wrong?”

Suddenly, Takumi realized that wasn’t an expression of surprise so much as horror.

“Ah...” Leo muttered, taking the bouquet from Takumi with startling solemnity, “I guess you didn’t know this, but where I’m from, picking flowers is an act of violence.”

Takumi froze, mouth hanging open as he tried to think up an apology.

“It’s fine, you didn’t know,” Leo said, unable to meet his eye.

“I-I’m sorry! Really!” Takumi stuttered. “I can fix it!”

“No, it’s too late,” Leo said. “I’ll just… give them a proper burial.” He looked around for a path outside of town and began walking toward it. Takumi figured that was a cue for him to leave, but then Leo motioned for him to follow instead. Takumi lightly jogged after him.

He felt kind of ridiculous digging a grave for flowers, of all things, but Leo was almost the most upset he’d ever seen a person. He’d feel like a monster if he laughed now. One by one, Leo tossed the flowers into their final resting place, Takumi watching quietly as he seemed to give them a short prayer before shoving the dirt back over them. 

“I’m sorry...” Takumi said again.

“You know, I was supposed to be the one apologizing,” Leo replied.

“Hmm?”

“I snapped at you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I clearly brought up some bad memories-”

“No, I’ve had plenty of time to get over it,” he said, talking more to himself than Takumi.

“Ah...” Takumi thought for a moment. “Well, you’re still new around here. There’s not much, but I could show you around?” Leo offered him a small smile.

“Yeah, that sounds nice.”

They had been together for three days, now. Even though Takumi had run out of interesting things to show him shockingly fast, they had no shortage of mutual interests and could carry on conversations for hours. 

“Seriously, you’ve never read a book?” Takumi asked.

“Again, made of brutally-murdered trees,” he said.

“Oh, yeah, that’s true...” Takumi thought for a moment. “But I think the contents make it worth it!”

“I doubt it, but you can try.”

Despite everything, Leo really, really loved books. And plants. Almost excessively, Takumi would say, with the how he went out of his way to avoid harming even grass. But, he wasn’t going to question it. They were friends now, and he was going to hang out with him whether he liked it or not.

Today, he had brought him a volume on the different species of plants around the world, waiting eagerly at their usual spot. He was early, as usual, so he wasn’t concerned even after almost a half hour had passed.

An hour, now  _ that _ was concerning.

It was unlikely something was wrong. After all, nothing exciting tended to happen in this village, and, if it did, he would have heard of it immediately. Unfortunately, that fact didn’t stop his mind from wandering.

Maybe he should get up and look for him, or at least ask someone if they had seen him recently. He stood up, squeezing the tome in his hands and looking in a direction to follow. Thankfully, he immediately saw the figure he was hoping for.

“Oh, Leo!” he called, “Where have you been?”

“Takumi,” he greeted simply, expression unreadable as Takumi jogged up to meet him.

“I brought- hey, what’s that?” Takumi asked, pointing to the leather-bound book under his arm. Leo held it out to him.

“This is for you,” he said. “It’s a record of everything I’ve seen on my journey.” 

“Really? You’re giving this to me?” Takumi said.

“It’s ungodly boring, but I thought you’d like it anyway,” Leo said.

“I’m just going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” Takumi flipped to a random page, somewhat surprised to find Leo’s handwriting extremely messy. 

“I don’t write very often,” he said, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

“It’s great,” Takumi said, “Thanks.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Leo said, not meeting his eyes.

“Oh, I have something for you, too!” Takumi said, offering his own book. “I noticed you liked plants, so...”

“Oh.” Leo stared at the gift, but didn’t accept it. Takumi pushed it closer. No response.

“Go on, take it!” he urged. Leo stared at it, contemplating something. Finally, he sighed.

“I’m sorry, I can’t accept anything from you,” he said. Takumi’s face fell.

“Huh?”

“It’s time for me to leave. It wouldn’t do to borrow something I couldn’t return,” he explained.

“Wait, what?” Takumi said, “You’re leaving already?”

“You didn’t expect me to stay forever, did you?” Leo said. “I’ve seen all I need to. It’s time to move on.” Takumi couldn’t respond.

“But-” he choked out.

“It was nice meeting you, Takumi,” Leo said, turning to leave, “Goodbye.” And for the last time, he was watching Leo disappear from his sight.

“Leo!” he called out, finally having the strength to move. “Leo, wait!” He was running now, shoving people out of the way in his chase, but Leo was running, too. Why was he running from him? “Leo!”

He wouldn’t even look back at him.

Takumi tripped, face skidding against the dirt. He pushed himself back up, ready to continue, but he had lost Leo in that short moment. He forced himself forward, he couldn’t have gone far-

Takumi made it to the edge of the village before he realized he was completely gone. Exhausted and numb, he could’ve just collapsed right there. Instead, he wandered back home, aching and skin scraped, and shut himself in his room the moment he got there. His siblings didn’t bother him (though he knew how much they wanted to), but later that night, he quietly took the cake they had placed in front of his door.

He propped himself up between the wall and his bed, carefully opening the journal to its first page.


	2. Chapter 2

_ It was a desperate move. Far too desperate, and yet, he had no choice. He clutched the acorn in his hand and ran, fire biting at his heels. _

_ Soon, the flames would swallow him as well, and there was nothing he could do. _

* * *

 

How long it had been, Takumi wasn’t sure. He hadn’t left his room for weeks… months… hours? 

It didn’t really matter. He flipped the page.

_ I’m not sure why I bothered visiting. Even if I could survive in a desert, I would hate to live here. The locals keep laughing at my sunburns.  _

Takumi snorted at the image of Leo, redder than a boiled lobster. He would absolutely melt, wouldn’t he? And become dehydrated, develop sunstroke, pass out somewhere and…

Takumi flipped the page. Then, to another section. The desert was far from here, he would be fine. But he would never really know, would he-?

_ The villagers here are awful. Today, a boy almost ran me over in the market, and when he finally noticed me, he didn’t even apologize! In fact, he didn’t say anything at all, he just stared at me. _

_...He wasn’t making fun of me, was he? _

Takumi closed the journal.

He tossed it to the edge of his bed and sunk into his pillow, curling up and listening to the rain buffeting their roof. It looked as though it were night, but the storm clouds were so thick Takumi was certain he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. He had long outgrown his fear of thunderstorms, but they still filled him with a sense of dread. 

Nights like these always summoned the worst of nightmares.

He could imagine it, a meeting and a secret plot. Ryouma, strong-willed as he was,  had messed with the wrong person this time, and they had sent an assassin to make an example of his whole family. The storm provides a perfect cover, rain ready to wash away all traces of an intruder. The ninja disguises himself as a traveler. “Won’t you please help me?” he’ll ask, “I need shelter,” sharpening his knife in his sleeve. He steps up to the door, and-

_ BANG BANG BANG _

It took all of Takumi’s willpower not to leap out of bed screaming when he heard the knock. Gods, he was going to give himself a heart attack one of these days. He sighed, composing himself to the rhythm of his sibling’s soft footsteps, and closed his eyes.

“Takumi!” Sakura suddenly yelled, uncharacteristically ripping open his door. He shot up in bed, eyes wide.

“What-?” There wasn’t  _ actually _ -

“Takumi, it’s  _ him _ _!_ ” she said. He froze in place. “He’s-!”

Takumi scrambled to his feet and rushed out into the hall, heart racing. He saw Ryouma pass him a towel, soaked to the bone, shaking, freezing-

“Leo!” he shouted. The other boy met his eyes, and he could see just how pale he was. Leo wasn’t able to react until long after Takumi had seized his icy wrist and began dragging him away.

Takumi shut the door to his room.

“What were you doing?” he asked. He refused to wait for an answer, tossing the towel over Leo’s head and turning to look through his clothes. “You could’ve frozen to death!”

Leo stood silent, shivering, then slowly began drying himself off.

“This should fit,” Takumi said, “Here.” He pushed one of his old yukata into his arms and turned to leave.

“Takumi…” he said, voice barely above a whisper. He paused, looking him in the eyes again. Leo wasn’t meeting his gaze, instead, staring off into the distance.

“What is it?” he asked.

“There’s something I have to tell you,” Leo said, finally. Takumi pursed his lips.

“Is it urgent?” he asked. Leo thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Then it can wait until later, when you don’t look like a drowned cat ready to pass out.” He left to give him some privacy, sliding the door shut behind him.

There was something surreal about it; stoic Leo, in his room, wearing his clothes, looking smaller than he had any right to be and clearly hurting. Why had he come back? His journal clearly stated he had no interest in this place, even if he had warmed up to Takumi.

He almost jumped when he heard Leo’s light knock behind him, signaling him back in. He was still shivering, still pale, but at least he seemed somewhat dry now, squeezing something in his fist.

“Good, you look a little better...” Takumi said, mostly to himself. “C’mon, you can sit by the fire with me.”

Leo stiffened, a look of terror briefly flashing across his face before being suppressed.

“No,” he said. Takumi gave him a confused glance.

“What do you mean, ‘no?’” he asked.

“No f-fires, please,”

“But you’re freezing,” Takumi stated, less urging and more ‘I don’t really have any other options.’ Leo shook his head.

“No fires,” he repeated.

Takumi huffed, quickly racking his brain for a solution. No fire, and the baths were inaccessible...

“I guess I’ll just grab a lot of blankets,” he said. “But I don’t know if that will really help if they’re not already warm...”

“Maybe...” Leo mumbled. Suddenly, he blushed, the red intense on his pale skin. “Nevermind.”

“What is it?” Takumi asked. Leo shook his head. “Seriously, I won’t mind.”

“Well… you’re warm,” he finally said. Takumi blinked.

“That would work, actually,” he said, trying to pretend like he wasn’t losing his mind in embarrassment from the prospect. Leo rubbed his face, and Takumi quickly excused himself to find those blankets he mentioned.

He dragged a stack out from their closet, balancing it in his arms and turning around to come face-to-face with Ryouma.

“B-brother!” he exclaimed, almost dropping everything.

“Is your friend alright?” Ryouma asked. “I figured you would’ve brought him to the fire by now.”

“I can’t,” Takumi said.

“Huh? Why?”

“He’s allergic,” he lied, badly. Ryouma gave him a look.

“Okay...” Ryouma said, “Well, if you need help, please ask.”

“Got it,” Takumi said, eager to disappear.

“And Takumi?” he added, “Don’t do anything rash. I remember when I was your age, ready and willing to give my heart away to anyone-”

Takumi was gone in an instant, Ryouma chuckling good-naturedly behind him. Hopefully the look on his face would be gone by the time he got back.

Leo had made himself comfortable in his bed while he was away, absentmindedly staring into the distance while waiting for him. He perked up at the sight of him.

“Ah, finally,” he said, managing to suppress his shivering, “you took forever.”

“I can take longer, y’know,” Takumi said, tossing the blankets on the bed and unfolding them one by one. He was going to wake up in a pool of sweat tomorrow, he was sure of it.

There was nothing romantic about it at all, to his mixed relief and disappointment. Any hope of that had vanished as soon as Leo clung to him like a wet paper towel. A frozen, gangly wet paper towel that kept stealing your limbs to use as heaters.

Leo passed out fairly quickly, totally exhausted from the day, but Takumi wasn’t quite so lucky. The cold was poking at him from all angles, and there was something like a rock lodged between his back and the sheets. It was easily one of the more unpleasant experiences of his life, but at least he had managed to shift in such a way he could remove the offending object.

He held it above his eyes, trying to identify it in the darkness of his room. It was smooth, but not totally round… was this an acorn? How did an acorn end up in his bed?

He was about to toss it away, but something stopped him. He squeezed it in his hand, and a comforting warmth rushed over him in a wave. He shuddered, somewhat mesmerized, and slipped it into his sleeve to be dealt with later.

By noon, Leo was still asleep.

“Hey, c’mon. You can’t sleep all day,” Takumi said, having peeled himself out of the sheets and Leo’s arms a while ago. He poked his cheek. Leo mumbled something and shoved his face deeper into his pillow. “Leo.” No response.

“Fine, go ahead,” he drawled, “sleep your life away if you want.” Leo shifted slightly, and Takumi smirked. “But I’m not going to make it easy for you!”

He leaped onto Leo and began aggressively tickling him. He shrieked and tried to escape, but Takumi had him thoroughly pinned.

“Hah-! Takumi, stop! Stop!” he yelled between choked laughter.

“Are you awake now?” Takumi asked.

“I-I’m awake! Awake!” he cried between gasps. Takumi withdrew his hands and sat back, laughing at Leo’s undignified face. He huffed, running his fingers through his hair and down his clothes in an attempt to fix them. Suddenly, he went stiff, face contorting in silent dread.

“Huh? What is it?” Takumi asked. Leo didn’t answer him. Instead, he threw away the covers and began frantically searching the bedding. “Leo?”

“It's gone,” he muttered, “How could it be gone? I never-”

“Leo!” Takumi said, grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him up to look at him, “What’s wrong? What's missing?” Leo shifted uncomfortably.

“It's…” he said, “It’s an acorn. It's very important to me.” Takumi blinked and reached into his pocket.

“You mean this one?” he said, holding it up. Leo nearly knocked him when he ripped it from his hands. He cradled it against his chest, strangely defensive.

“Where did you find this?” Leo asked, flustered.

“Well, you dropped it,” Takumi said. “What's the big deal?” Leo sighed, taking a moment to recollect himself.

“It’s…” He hummed, lost in thought. “Takumi, can you close the door?” Confused, Takumi stood and slid the door closed.

“Does it have something to do with what you wanted to tell me about last night?” he asked, sitting next to Leo on the bed.

“Entirely,” Leo said, fiddling nervously with the acorn in his hand. He was silent for a time, thinking hard. “I'm not really sure what to say,” he said finally.

“Uh.” Takumi considered it. “Well, maybe you should just be direct.”

“Direct,” Leo repeated, deadpan. “I don't think there is a direct way to say this.” He took a deep breath. “Takumi, you read a lot about other cultures, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you know anything about Nohrian mythology?”

“Some, I guess,” Takumi said, searching his memory. “Depends on the subject.”

“What do you know about nature spirits?”

“Uh, well, there's personifications of things, like rivers, plants, trees… I forget what they’re called-”

“Nymphs.”

“Yeah, that,” he said. “But what does that have to do with anything?”

“It has to do with everything,” Leo said, “seeing as I am one. A dryad, specifically.”

Takumi suddenly had many questions, and absolutely no way to articulate them, Instead, what he said was, “Gah-! hrk?”

Leo stared.

“B-but those aren’t real!” Takumi managed, finally.

“I assure you, they’re quite real,” he replied. “Otherwise, you should be very concerned for your mental health right now.”

Takumi blinked. He looked over Leo, brow furrowed. He looked over Leo again.

“There's no real indication, if that's what you're looking for,” Leo said. “At least, not while I’m like this.”

“What do you mean?” Takumi asked.

“I mean-” Leo frowned. “I’m not…”

He rolled the acorn between his fingers.

“All things considered, I should be-” He paused. “...dead, by now.”

“Leo? Seriously, what are you talking about?”

Leo stared into Takumi’s eyes, then, slowly, he spoke.

“There was… a fire.” he began. “It destroyed everything. My home, my friends, and… it should have destroyed me. But,” He held out the acorn. “I had heard legends in which other dryads plucked their seeds and used them to travel long distances. I didn't actually believe it, but I had no other option, so I took one and ran.”

“But you're here. It worked, then,” Takumi said.

“I suppose, but…” He frowned. “I feel… wrong. Like the real Leo actually burned up in that fire and I'm just some cheap imitation.” He sighed. “But it doesn't matter, so long as I find somewhere safe to replant myself.”

“But you could just do that anywhere, right?” Takumi asked. “Why come all the way to Hoshido?” Leo scoffed.

“What, do you think it was an accident? That fire was started intentionally,” he said. “When you need room for farmland, that's a much more effective way of taking care of us.”

“Oh,” Takumi gasped.

“I refuse to live anywhere near humans anymore. They care for no one but themselves,” he spat.

Takumi was silent.

“But you came back,” he said finally.

Leo looked at his hands, neatly folded on his lap.

“I don't really know why,” he replied, “but… at some point, I just realized-” He paused for a moment. “I would be quite upset if I never had the chance to see you again.”

Takumi wasn't quite sure how to respond. He remembered the first day they met, the moments they had spent together, the pain he had felt when Leo ran from him… 

Suddenly, he realized just how familiar the warmth of that acorn had felt.

“Leo…” he said. “Does that mean your soul is technically that seed?”

“That's hardly the proper terminology, but something like that, I guess.”

“When I held it in my hand, I felt..,” Takumi thought for a moment. “like I was finally home, after being lost for a very long time.” He smirked. “Is that how you feel about me?”

Leo flushed bright red, standing up in a jolt.

“T-that’s not at  _ all- _ ” he stuttered, backing up into a wall in an attempt to escape. Finally, he regained enough of his bearings to slip through the door. “ _ Agh!” _

“Hey, you can't hide from your feelings!” Takumi called, stumbling after him. “ _ Leo! _ ”

* * *

 

Leo could only stare in silence as Takumi shoveled the last pile of dirt over his new resting place. He had never even considered a garden in his travels, but they were beautiful, and cherished, and  _ safe _ , most of all, especially the one at Takumi’s house. It felt… strange, to finally settle down again after drifting for so long.

“Well, looks like you’re stuck here forever now!” Takumi joked. When Leo didn’t respond, he reached out and lightly squeezed his hand, offering him a supportive smile.

It had taken nearly a year to convince him to finally replant himself, though Leo had settled into Takumi’s household fairly quickly after he showed up that night. He understood. It was hardly an easy decision. But the flowers here were nice, and an oak tree would fit in comfortably.

“Hey, Leo?” Takumi said. “I'm gonna head back inside and make lunch. Do you want to come, or…?”

Leo shook his head.

“I think I'll stay here for a little while longer.”

Takumi nodded in understanding and walked away, watching him from over his shoulder. Leo would be happy here. He would never allow otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's the end! well, kind of. I do have an epilogue, but i'm not quite sure i want to post it yet. there are couple side stories I came up with while writing this, maybe you'll see them! For now, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.


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